Dr. Zeinab Hosseinidoust

Overview

We address the global crises of antimicrobial resistant superbugs and viral infections by using bacteriophages, good viruses that are bacteria's natural predators. These natural antimicrobials can be designed to act as tiny soldiers that only kill the bad bacteria and leave our good bacteria (the ones we need for our health and well-being) intact. We design and formulate phage therapeutics to target specific infections. We also pack bacteriophages into solid form to design antimicrobial biomaterials, gels and coatings. In addition, because bacteriophages are so good at targeting their prey (bacteria) in nature, we use them to design novel methods of detecting and diagnosing infectious diseases.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have developed a new research platform on using bacteriophage aerosols as surrogates for aerosolized SARS-COV-2. We use these phage aerosols to investigate performance of respirators and ventilation systems to infectious viral aerosols. 

Our research spans across multiple disciplines and integrates engineering with molecular biology, materials science, and chemistry. To learn more, follow us on Twitter and Instagram. You can also visit the Resources page on our lab website to learn more about bacteriophages. 

Research Platforms

Platform A: Phage Antimicrobials
We use bacteriophages for their inherent property, as bacterial killers. We develop design/formulation criteria for bacteriophage therapeutics against common infections on the skin, medical implants, gastrointestinal tract, and respiratory system, specifically those that are in biofilm mode and antibiotic resistant.

Platform B: Phage Biomaterials
In their simplest form, bacteriophages are bionanoparticles than can propagate themselves and self-assemble. These properties make bacteriophages more powerful than synthetic nanoparticles. We also pack bacteriophages into solid form to design antimicrobial biomaterials, gels and coatings.

Platform C: Phage Diagnostics
Bacteriophages are very effective at finding and specifically targeting their host bacteria in nature. Because bacteriophages are so good at targeting their prey (bacteria) in nature, we use them to design novel methods of detecting and diagnosing infectious diseases.

Platform D: Aerosolized Phage
We investigate aerosolized phage to understand the behaviour of infectious aerosols, as well as to design inhalable therapeutics. We research the performance of respirators to aerosolized viruses and bacteria under clinically relevant conditions.